About Me

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Day 1: Many First

  The First of Many Firsts




      There is a first time for everything. This weekend, there will be two planned first times, my daughters first friend sleepover at our house and training for Odyssey of the Mind as a judge.  I always find it interesting at how I feel when I begin to encounter something new.  I plan, I predict, I wonder, I question, I think.  I find it interesting that when I think about teaching that I think that all those skills that we talk about in reading are really life skills and that if we don't help students make connections with the learning to the real world then they lose.

    The sleepover was a HUGE success.  I enjoyed the fact that the girls played games, giggled, styled their hair, played hide-and-seek, and our favorite UNO attack.  They made lunch together and genuinely had a wonderful time.  It was so much fun to watch them.  I must say I dreaded it, I'm not one to schedule and plan my kids every move.  I think they enjoyed creating their own fun, what a pleasure.

     Moaning and groaning I got out of bed to head to judge training for Odyssey of the Mind, another first. Walking into a crowded room is never fun and I am really distractable during stand and deliver presentations that I cannot stay focused. Thankfully, there were small groups later in the day. I found out that I would be part of Problem One with the vehicles.  I was very intimidated at first because they were talking about propulsion.  I love engineering, but I must say that this is a steep learning curve.  I was hoping that there would be a way that I could contribute.  Lo and behold, they need a score person who is comfortable with a computer.  I fit the bill, I belong!  I am part of a group of people who support creative problem solving.  I am so excited to watch the presentations later in March. The best part, I get to stay in my comfort zone and watch and learn, there isn't a better place to be for me!

I continue to plan, predict, question, wonder, and engage in the world around me.

4 comments:

  1. The sleepover sounds great and I can picture all of that. However, I can't say that I am too familiar with Odyssey of the Mind! I'll have to pay more attention to that, as it sounds like some great learning is going on!

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  2. What a great time for your girls. That takes me back to much younger days.

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  3. I love your word choice of wonder. These are powerful words and your parallel to reading made them even more powerful. Wonder is probably my favorite out of all of those word because it's not a typical word used in reading. Predicting and wondering have two different meanings, and I can't wait to share this language with my students.

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  4. Plan, predict, question, wonder, think. I feel like I could get a tattoo of that! It's how I approach pretty much every thing I ever encounter, but definitely how I approach unfamiliar things.

    Sidenote, all my friends in high school did OM and had a ton of fun. I hope you enjoy the adventure!

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